Clemson notebook: Ford inducted into Ring of Honor

Saturday

Aug 31, 2013 at 12:01 AMSep 1, 2013 at 12:57 AM

The former Tigers coach was honored prior to the start of Saturday night's game vs. Georgia.

By ERIC BOYNTON and MATT CONNOLLYStaff Writers

CLEMSON — Former Dorman and Clemson defensive lineman Vance Hammond would alert his mother each time a prospective college recruiter would want to schedule a visit, be it LSU, Alabama or Notre Dame, and each time mom would tell son to meet them at the school.“Then one day I told her I’d heard from Clemson coach Danny Ford and she said, ‘what time does he want to come to the house and what does he want to eat for dinner?’ ” Hammond said earlier this week.Hammond played for the legendary coach at the end of his tenure that concluded with a 96-29-4 record, five ACC championships and the lone football national championship in school history.Ford was inducted into Clemson’s Ring of Honor prior to the start of Saturday’s game with Georgia with a curtain dropping to reveal his name below the upper deck in a corner of the west end-zone. Former baseball coach Bill Wilhelm also was honored. Ford talked about the honor Friday after being the featured speaker at the Spartanburg Touchdown Club.“I don’t want to downplay it because I know it’s a great honor and I’m very appreciative of it, but I just feel so very not-deserving because I never have believed in individual awards for a coach,” Ford said. “The head coach does less than the assistants. They do all the work and the players do all the playing. “My family and the fans are the ones who really sacrificed. I didn’t sacrifice anything to do this. I spent a lot of my time, but there were fans who followed us everywhere we went. They’d buy a ticket when they really didn’t have enough money to buy one.“When they see my name up there, I want them to say well I put him up there. That’s the way I want our players to feel and the way I want our fans to feel. And our teachers and tutors and anybody else who helped us and there are so many thousands and thousands who did help us.”When asked where this achievement ranked among other honors both on and off the field, he reacted like the typical gentleman farmer.“This one will be more out in public than most of them because it will be right there for people to see. I’ve got honors back at the house that are in my barn that nobody can see, not even my cows. You’re only on this earth for a short time and you hope people remember the good that you did and not the bad so if they see my name up there maybe they’ll remember it and think something good about it.”He has always been a fan favorite around Clemson, but there was some original acrimony right after his split from the university. Ford said that’s well in the past.“I’ve never been against the administration,” Ford said. “We just had a difference of opinion. I did a poor job of being too public about it and they did a poor job of not bringing me in, sitting me down, and saying shut up. It could’ve been better on both our parts. Life’s too short to be mad, sad and hold grudges. The more water that goes under the dam the cleaner the water.”EARLY FIREWORKS: Clemson and Georgia combined for 397 yards of total offense in the first quarter. Clemson did most of its damage through the air, passing for 133 yards while Georgia countered with 142 yards on the ground.In back-to-back plays from scrimmage in the first period, Georgia and Clemson scored touchdowns. After Clemson took a 7-0 lead, Georgia running back Todd Gurley raced 75 yards untouched to tie the game. On Clemson’s first play of the ensuing drive, Tajh Boyd connected with Sammy Watkins for a 77-yard touchdown. The 75-yard run by Gurley was a career-long, while Boyd’s throw and Watkins’ catch were also career-longs. Each play took 12 seconds.BOYD CATCHES A BREAK: A huge momentum shift occurred just before the half when Georgia’s Armarlo Herrera dropped an errant pass from Boyd with only green grass in front of him. Although Georgia forced a punt, Stephone Anthony stripped Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray on the ensuing drive and Spencer Shuey recovered to set up Clemson deep in Georgia territory. Boyd scored on a 2-yard touchdown run with 3:51 remaining in the first half to tie the game at 21. TURNOVERS: Late in the first half the teams exchanged turnovers on consecutive plays. After Sammy Watkins dropped a punt to give Georgia the ball at Clemson’s 30, UGA quarterback Aaron Murray was picked off by Corey Crawford.Clemson posted three sacks in the first half against a Georgia offensive line returning five starters while the Bulldogs went without one.

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